Saffron inhibits the growth of human pancreatic cancer cells

A new study, published by the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Department of Cancer Biology, has revealed that a saffron compound (crocetin) inhibits the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in humans.

The research findings, published in the journal Oncotarget, specified that after 21 days there was a significant reduction in tumor growth in the group of mice who received the saffron compound.

“The mice who were given the crocetinic acid demonstrated a 75 percent reduction in their tumor growth, while the mice in the control group, which didn’t receive the crocetinic acid, actually saw a 250 percent increase in tumor growth,” Dhar said.

“Unless these stem cells are destroyed, the cancer will return,” said Shrikant Anant, Ph.D., a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at KU Medical Center and associate director of cancer prevention and control at The University of Kansas Cancer Center and a co-author on the study. “If we can determine that crocetinic acid is successful in inhibiting or destroying the stem cells, it will be a major step forward in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.”